OT: Duke Alum - Kyrie Irving and Sparty Alum - Draymond Green Believe Earth is Flat
It appears Kyrie Irving and Draymond Green are flat earthers. FYI, the Earth is round.
Per the initial podcast where Kyrie unleashes this foolishness:
“This is not even a conspiracy theory. The Earth is flat. The Earth is flat. “It’s right in front of our faces. I’m telling you, it’s right in front of our faces. They lie to us.”
While serial ball-kicker Draymond doesn't proclaim that the Earth is flat, he's definitely not a believer in a round earth:
“Who’s to say that picture is telling the truth? I can make a round picture with my iPhone today, with the panorama camera and make it look round."
I hope Kyrie is trolling, but based on his follow up comments he appears to really believe this stuff. Draymond is a Sparty, so not much surprise there.
Links to the various stories:
http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/kyrie-irving-flat-earth-draymond-gre…
http://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2017/02/18/draymond-green-kyrie-irving-…
February 19th, 2017 at 1:55 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 2:38 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 2:41 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 1:36 PM ^
You can't prove a negative. You can't prove that a god or Santa Clause don't exist, same way you can't prove that there isn't a link between autism and vaccinations. A million tests can be ran that show no link but, theoretically, the next test could show a link between them. That doesn't mean there is a connection between the two.
The CDC's take on the subject.
February 19th, 2017 at 9:56 AM ^
Part of the reason that people don't have the respect for scientific results - and often, but not as often, scientific consensus - is that in many cases, they shouldn't. I tell my classes this all the time. For example:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reproducibility_Project
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/06/study-claims-28-billion-year-spe…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulrodgers/2014/12/04/leaked-memo-raises-q…
http://www.forbes.com/sites/henrymiller/2017/01/04/rachel-carsons-heedl…
It's nothing new. Phrenology, Wegener, etc. Scientists are as politicized as anyone else, and people need to be aware of that. Even lay people need to be able to use Occam's razor, think critically, understand the laws of thermodynamics, etc. in order to evaluate what scientists are telling them.
Doesn't mean science isn't awesome, hasn't changed the world a million times for the better, or should be replaced with irrationality. Just means people aren't perfect.
February 19th, 2017 at 10:46 AM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 10:27 AM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 1:02 PM ^
but you did it for me, and stated it as elegantly as I ever could have hoped to. Well done, man.
February 21st, 2017 at 8:30 PM ^
Quantum mechanics, general relativity, and special relativity are not beyond imagination.
Furthermore, disproven ideas and the publishing of incorrect results is not what makes science "so great and limitless." That's ridiculous. If all science ever did was come to incorrect conclusions, would you be calling it great? No.
You're actually the one who is confused, and you are doubly so.
First, you're confusing a judgment of the process with a judgment of the results. The process can be great while still producing bad results that should not be relied upon.
Second, you're confusing free science with modern science when you say "it welcomes all ideas." For example, the American Physical Society issued a statement the other year wherein they said that the evidence of catastrophic anthropogenic climate change was "incontrovertible." That word is anathema to free science, of course, but in response to the APS's statement, there was little outcry. Nobel winner Ivar Glaever resigned, and I think a few others did, but that was it. Modern science in no way welcomes all ideas equally.
February 19th, 2017 at 11:09 AM ^
I'm not sure what anti-climate change means. The only people I've met who seems to be anti-climate change are the ones who think they know the ideal temperature of the Earth, and that humans, through a global carbon tax scheme or something, can adequately control it. The climate has been changing for 4.5 billion years.
February 19th, 2017 at 11:14 AM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
I'm not crying about anything. I break down the climate change discussion through six statements, each one increasingly unlikely:
1) The Earth is getting warmer. This is consistent with everything we know.
2) Human activity is the reason the Earth is getting warmer. Here, human activity may be the predominant factor causing warming, one factor among many, a minor factor, or even no factor at all. I'm pretty sympathetic to the arguments that human activity plays a major role.
3) The consequences of the warming will be disastrous, something approaching the apocalypse. There is much uncertainty here, and even the IPCC would concede that.
4) Global bureaucrats will be able to manage/mitigate the damage that may occur. Will they be able to get China and India on board? Good one.
5) Global bureaucrats find a solution that is economically sensible and efficient. Nope. Any global plan would likely have devastating effects on poorer countries especially. Could we take corrective steps over time as individual nations? That could probably be done. Any global regime is almost certainly doomed.
6) A global climate change regime could effectively mitigate damage in an economically efficient manner while respecting civil liberties and national sovereignty. HAHAHA.
February 19th, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
They're making a 360 billion dollar green energy investment by 2020.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/05/world/asia/china-renewable-energy-in…
February 19th, 2017 at 12:40 PM ^
but opinions that include "untrusted bureaucrats and global regimes" as the only way forward just allow defeatest attitudes that maintain the status quo at best and mocking "drill baby drill" comments at worst.
February 19th, 2017 at 12:48 PM ^
And I completely understand your frustration with my cynicism. You may disagree, but I am extremely skeptical that anything could be done at the global level that could address my concerns that I outlined above. A poster above noted that China has recently committed to major investments in green energy. That is how I ultimately believe things will get done. Country by country, little by little, and not as fast as many would like.
February 19th, 2017 at 1:04 PM ^
in regards to any global (directed) plan. I even doubt most govt's ability to organize properly.
But I don't think a nation has to sign binding agreements, or concede power or put itself in any kind of competitive diadvantage to enact positive change and be a global leader.
February 19th, 2017 at 1:16 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 1:43 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 1:01 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 1:31 PM ^
What I was getting at is that points 1 and 2 actually are very likely/pretty close certain. I was just saying from 1-6 each point in my opinion gets a bit more unlikely (although starting for a high degree of likeliness). Sorry for the confusion.
February 19th, 2017 at 11:20 AM ^
*sigh*
February 19th, 2017 at 11:29 AM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 12:42 PM ^
Check my response above to BursleyBaitsBus. I'm pretty comfortable with the scientific consensus.
February 19th, 2017 at 1:46 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 1:09 PM ^
I think most intelligent people are against climate change, given that the current species on the planet evolved to fit the environment of the planet, and that changing the planet's environment will cause massive evolutionary upheaval and the extinction of many species, potentially including the human one. I can understand why some people regard this with equanimmity, knowing that they can enjoy the current, destructive lifestyle and be safely dead long before the worst effects are visited on the species, but I don't understand their pride in their selfishness.
It isn't the presence of climate change, but the speed of it, that causes the issue.
February 19th, 2017 at 1:34 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 1:59 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 11:17 AM ^
They are just playing with the press, idiots.
Don't be another one.
February 19th, 2017 at 12:32 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 7:36 AM ^
This seems too off topic even for the off season.
That said, I wish we could send all the flat earthers on a ship around the world. What would they say then?
February 19th, 2017 at 7:43 AM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 9:34 AM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 7:44 AM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 8:00 AM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 10:25 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
February 19th, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 8:41 AM ^
If you read his comments yesterday (he said science didn't support the earth is flat theory)I'm pretty sure his "earth is flat" was one of two things:
1: A reference to our current state of political affairs or
2: An attempt to generate publicity for the upcoming "Uncle Drew" movie he will star in once the season is over.
Now as far as Draymond goes I think he's just a dumb ass.
February 19th, 2017 at 9:23 AM ^
Yeah I don't think he really thinks the earth is flat. Kyrie's tongue was pretty far in his cheek. And Draymond was laughing the whole time.
If I were an NBA player I'd probably troll the media like that a lot too.
February 19th, 2017 at 10:20 AM ^
Trolling the media or just making him look like a dumbass? The media is a collection of people that the joke wouldn't specifically land on whereas his comments can be and have been attributed to him specifically. When it gets reported on, people don't say "Wow, he really trolled the media there." They say, "Wow, that's one dumb motherfucker. I guess a year at Duke didn't help with that."
February 19th, 2017 at 10:29 AM ^
He is trolling
February 19th, 2017 at 10:04 AM ^
Pretty sure that's just him trying to walk back his comments because his PR person told him not to be an idiot. Giving him way to much credit if you think that podcast was some deeper comment on political affairs.
February 19th, 2017 at 7:48 AM ^
If you put water on a basketball why doesn't it stay still.
If you hover in a helicopter why doesn't the earth move.
Why doesn't people and water south of the equator fall into space
Why can't you see the horizon bending with the earth
There was a lot more I can't remember them all but reading them made me feel very smart
February 19th, 2017 at 8:40 AM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 8:48 AM ^
Interesting hypothosis.
I was thinking yesterday when the subject was being discussed that our entire society has become "tollerant" of people being just flat out WRONG on things because it's their opinion and who are we to judge? But not everything is subjective and open to interpretation like strawberry ice cream tastes better than vanilla. Some things, like the earth is flat for example, are just WRONG.
2 +2 does not equal 7 and anybody who says it does should be viewed as a dumb-ass, not someone expressing their personal individuality and creative thinking.
February 19th, 2017 at 9:27 AM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 10:52 AM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 2:32 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 6:21 PM ^